Protecting buildings from verm i n



7 (No Model.) 1

1 F. W. BARTLETT.

PROTECTING BUILDINGS PROMVERMIN, FIRE, &o. No. 293,617. Patented Feb. 19, 1884.

FREDERICKW. BARTLETT, "on BUFFALO; YORK.

I-PRQTECTII'NG BUILDINGS F 'RoMv E-RMimH-RE, 80C. 5

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No.'293,61'7,'idated February 19,1884. l I -A-pplidation filed-April 6,1883. (Nomodeh) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREnERIcK W. BART- LETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ProtectingBuildings from Vermin, Fire, &c.; and I do hereby declare the following to. be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, whichv form a part of this specification.

My invention consists, substantially, in dividing the space between. the walls and the lath and plaster, and between the floors and ceiling of buildings generally, into separate and distinct sections by means of intervening partitions of suitable material placed in position during the construction of the building and carefully sealed with mortar, cement, &c., such partitions being so arranged as to form permanent barriers to the circulationof vermin through houses, and at the same time to impede to a great extent the progress of fire, such spaces, when not so sectioned according to my invention, forming, as is well known,

passages for the rapid transmission of fire fromv one story to another'of a building.

The utility of my invention is further increased in that it prevents to a great extent the circulation of cold air, which during ex-' treme weather is forced into a house through cracks and crevices in the outer walls.

It will be readily seen that there are various ways within the scope of my invention of constructing the dividing partitions; and I will now proceed to describethe simplest and most inexpensivema'nner in which I propose to carry out my invention, it being understood that I do not desire to belimited entirely to such construction.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents aportion of a building in vertical section, to the walls and floors of which my improved construction is applied. Fig. 2 represents one form of my invention as applied to wooden joists of a-flooring; and Fig. 3 represents its application to iron beams used in flooring I Referringto the drawings, a is the outer brick wall of the building, and.a is the inner wall of lath and plaster. Between thesetwo wallsare the usual spaces, a, formed bythe studding, to which the lath and plaster are attached. These spaces af form convenient passages not only for house-vermin, but for fire and cold air as well. To remedy these defects in construction I propose to effectually close up these passages at suitable intervals as substantially shown in Fig. 1, in which I) b are thin pieces or plates of suitable material laid into the wall a during its construction, and extending beyond such wall a distance sufficient to reach or lap over the line of lathing. I find in practice that thin slate or thinstrips of baked clay is best adapted for the purpose,

it being inexpensive and easily cut or produced, at the same time forming a permanent and effective barrier for the purpose stated. To make the partitions perfiectly tight, mortar can be applied to any of the small openings which may exist between the edges of the slates, &c. This construction just described in detail forms, as will be seen, an eflectual barrier to the upward progress .of house-vermin, and has the effect of impeding to a very great extent the progress of fire from one floor to another, which, as a temporary aid in conthe greatest service.

In adapting my invention to the spaces a tally and vertically by inserting my dividing partitions 1) into grooves cut in the wooden joists f, or placing them upon cleats secured thereto. The material used for these partitions may be of any suitable character such as sheets of galvanized iron, terra-cotta, stone, prepared wood, &c.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the iron beams 9 provided with supporting-flanges h, ,upon which the partitions b, of any suitable refractory material, are laid and secured.

Thesectioned walls and fioors just described areof great additional advantage in suppressing fire, in that they form pockets or reservoirs for the reception and, retention of the water which is thrown into the building (la trolling incipient fires inbuildings, is often of ring the progress of a fire, thereby preventing to a greater extent the progress of the flames from one story to another.

I am aware that buildings have been constructed with double walls, withslabs inserted crosswise at' intervals, forming a series of hollow spaces; also, that the joists of a building have been provided with pan-shaped coverings for the upper face of the joists, and interposed between the floor and such joists in such a manner as to receive and carry off wa ter and other fluids; and I do not therefore lay claim-to suclrconstruction; but

I claim 1. A building having the spaces between the lath and plaster and the walls and between the ceilings and floors sectioned by means of intervening partitions of suitable material placcdin position during the construction of In testimony whereof I havesigned my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK W. BARTLETT.

\Vitnesses:

Orrro HODDICK, V. T. MILLER. 

